The use of uHear™ to screen for hearing loss in older patients with cancer as part of a comprehensive geriatric assessment

• Published in: Acta clinica belgica (English ed. Online) Vol. 73; no. 2; p. 132
• Main Authors: Lycke, Michelle, Debruyne, Philip R, Lefebvre, Tessa, Martens, Evi, Ketelaars, Lore, Pottel, Hans, Van Eygen, Koen, Derijcke, Sofie, Werbrouck, Patrick, Vergauwe, Philippe, Stellamans, Karin, Clarysse, Philippe, Dhooge, Ingeborg, Schofield, Patricia, Boterberg, Tom
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 01.04.2018
• Subjects: uHear; comprehensive geriatric assessment; hearing loss screening; Older patients with cancer
• ISSN: 2295-3337
• DOI: 10.1080/17843286.2017.1392070

We previously validated uHear™ to screen for hearing loss in older patients with cancer without a known hearing loss, as part of a comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA). In view of low specificity, we tested a new modified uHear™ scoring system as described by Handzel. Patients, aged ≥70 years, were evaluated by uHear™ and conventional audiometry, which is considered the gold standard, as part of a CGA. The pass or fail screening cut-off for uHear™ was defined as having ≥2 consecutive hearing grades starting from the moderate-severe threshold zone ranging from 0.5 to 2.0 kHz (modified Handzel-uHear™ scoring system). To accept the modified Handzel-uHear™ as screening tool, it was predefined that the combined sensitivity (S) and specificity (Sp) of the test (S + Sp/2) was at least 80% and that an actual combined (S + Sp)/2 of 90% would be found. Ninety ears (45 subjects) were tested. Of those ears, 24.4% were identified as impaired by conventional audiometry. Modified Handzel-uHear™ identified 26.7% of tested ears as impaired. The combined (S + Sp)/2 of the modified Handzel-uHear™ was calculated as 77.5%, while in previous cohort, this was retrospectively calculated as 94.6%. A new uHear™ scoring system was proposed and tested in current and previous cohort. A (S + Sp)/2 of 80.2 and 78.8%, respectively, were obtained. uHear™ is a feasible tool for use within the CGA and shows promising results. However, further research is warranted to optimize the cut-off method before it could be routinely implemented within geriatric oncology.